1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to methods, systems and arrangements for manipulating, localizing and analyzing samples, and more particularly to systems, methods and device arrangements for manipulating, localizing and analyzing samples, such as chemically or biologically active species on micro-beads, on a bio-sensing device.
2. Background Information
There exists an enormous number of processes occurring in an organism over a given unit of time and also in each cell of the organism. One needs therefore fast techniques that enable acquisition of information about such processes in parallel, and effective means for storing and handling such information.
High throughput screening (HTS) examines in parallel very small sample amounts (so as not to use large amounts of expensive and rare chemicals) and as many of these as possible. The easiest and the most logical (from the point of view of information handling) way is to arrange such complex samples in dense, solid-phase matrix, often implemented on and referred to as a “chip”.
One example of such preparation is given in FIG. 1 (Biophotonics, January/February 2000, Univ. of Wisconsin, Franco Cerrina, et al.). According to this technique, a matrix is created by burning away deposits from certain selected places on a chip, while depositing additional chemicals on other places. This method, although fairly fast and cheap, produces a permanent pattern on a matrix, which will be used up after a single experiment. Thus, each new experiment requires production of a new matrix.
The number of elements (spots or locations) in a matrix varies depending on the preparation method, but usually does not exceed 10,000, although matrices as large as 1,000,000 sites have been reported. The outcome of each single “experiment” therefore gives at best 10,000 results. In reality this number is much lower (around 20%) due to the very poor quality of even the best matrices produced to date.
Apart from preparation mentioned above a complete HTS-system should also include means of detection of the events taking place in each location as well as data transfer and processing capabilities.
Relevant art includes: FR 2,781,886; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,874,219, 5,922,617, and 5,755,942; PCT applications WO 00/43534, WO 00/49382, WO 00/60356, and WO 00/54882, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
It is desirable to provide systems and methods for manipulating, localizing and analyzing samples and related processes in an efficient and effective manner.